Toggle clip



Feb. 27, 1934. 1 M, JONES 1,949,123

`TOGGLE CLIP Filed sept. 11, 1931 /N VEN fof? @fm/magma Patented Fei?.27, 1934 UNTE STATES TOGGLE CLIP Ira Milton Jones, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application September 11, 1931 Serial No. 562,286

6 Claims.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in toggleclips for use with leather stretching devices and the like.

Toggle clips herebefore in use have been complicated in design andconsequently costly. 1t is, therefore, an object of this invention togreatly simplify the construction of toggle clips 'of the characterdescribed, and thereby eect a substantial saving in manufacturing cost.

Another object of this invention is to provide a toggle clip of thecharacter described which may be easily and quickly repaired at aminimum cost. Clips of this character comprise a pair of jaws 1 forgripping the material to be stretched, a spring for opening the jaws,and a suitable handle by which manual tension may be applied, and it isanother object of this invention to provide a clip in which a singlespring member provides all of these elements.

And a further object resides in the provision or" a toggle clip whichconsists of two detachably connected units to facilitate repair in theevent of breakage.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the novel construction,combination and arrangement oi parts substantially as hereinafterdescribed and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it beingunderstood that such changes in the precise embodiment of thehereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of theclaims.

In the accompanying drawing, is illustrated one complete example of thephysical embodiment ci the invention constructed according to the bestmode so far devised for the practical application of the principlesthereof, and in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a toggle clip 40 embodying thisinvention and illustrating the same in its clamping position;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure l, but illustrating the clip in itsopen position;

Figure 3 is a cross section taken through Figure 2 on the plane of theline 3 3;

Figure 4 is a perspective View of the spring member which forms the jawsof the device, and

Figure 5 is a perspective View of the supporting frame.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing in whichlike numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, thenumeral 6 represents a frame member which comprises a bottom wall 7 andspaced parallel side walls 8. The side walls 8 have their front edge 9cut out at the medial portion to provide clearance for the edge of thematerial to be stretched, and the outer extremities of the side wallshave axially aligned apertures 10 which (Cl. 2li-84) lie in a planeperpendicular to the bottom wall 7 and inwardly of its forward end 11.

Positioned between the outer extremities of the side walls is a bellcrank lever 12. This lever is preferably stamped from bendable metal andhas a short arm 13 formed by down turned side walls at one end of thelever, and is pivotally mounted by a pin 14 passed through these downturned side walls and through the openings 10.

The long arm 15 of the bell crank lever provides convenient means formoving the bell crank to and from an operative position closing the jawsof the clip, as will be later described.

The jaws of the clip are formed by the ends of a substantially U shapedspring member 16. The lower, or fixed jaw, comprises a substantiallycylindrical portion 17 formed by curling over one end of the springmember and the other movable jaw comprises the straight other end 18 ofthe spring member.

The cylindrical portion 17 forming' the lower fixed jaw has a pluralityof teeth 19 formed by striking a plurality of tangs outwardly from theouter cylindrical surface and the other movable jaw which comprises thestraight end 18 of the fi spring member is movable toward thecylindrical portion 17 against the normal resiliency of the springmember to clamp the edge of the leather L or other material beingstretched between it and the cylindrical portion 17, causing the teeth19 to bite therein. v

The end 18 of the spring member which forms the movable jaw is movableto its operative clamping position by downward movement of the long arm15 of the bell crank lever 12, and it will be observed that suchmovement causes the point of contact of the bell crank short arm 14 tomove beyond a plane passing through the axis of the pin 11i andperpendicular to the bottom wall 7 of the frame, and inasmuch as`further downward movement of the long arm 15 of the bell crank lever isprevented by its engagement with the loop 20, formed by the closed endof the U shaped spring member, the jaws become locked in closedposition.

It is of course understood that the spring member 16 is suiiicientlystrong to prevent deformation of its cylindrical portion 17 by theapplication of tension on the material being stretched.

During use, the loop 20 provides a convenient if handle to permit theapplication of tension on the material being stretched, and a hook 21projecting from the bottom wall 7 of the frame is engageable with asuitable support to maintain the material under tension. The hook 21 ispreferably formed by striking down two tangs which -leave openings 22 inthe bottom wall of the frame.

In stretching hides or leather, the hooks 21 or the clips are engagedwith recesses or openings formed in the surfaces of stretching framesand after the hide or leather has been thus applied to the frames, theframes are actuated to further stretch the material.

It is observed that the spring member 16 provides the two jaws betweenwhich the material to be stretched is gripped, the spring action foropening the jaws, and also the loop or handle by which manual tensionmay be applied; and an important feature of this invention is the factthat this spring member is quickly detachably connected with the frame.

'I'he spring member 16 is maintained assembled Iwith the frame by twotangs 23 which are struck downwardly from its bottom straight wall 24between the cylindrical portion 17 and the loop 20, and extend into theopenings 22 in the bottom wall of the frame. The tension of the springmember serves to hold the same in proper assembled relation.

The removability of the spring member greatly facilitates the repair ofthe clips in that invariably the jaws or some associated portion thereofbecome defective during use, and with the present invention it is onlynecessary to remove the defective spring member and insert a new one inits place.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, it will be readily apparent to those skilled inthe art to which an invention of the character described appertains,that this invention provides a novel construction for toggle clips ofthe character de scribed and that it greatly reduces the cost not onlyof manufacture, but also of maintenance.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A toggle clip comprising a spring member bent medially upon itself toprovide a ringer engagng portion and overlying end portions formingclamping jaws yieldably maintained open by the normal resiliency of thespring member, a supporting frame having spaced side walls connected bya third wall, the spring member belng disposed between the spaced sidewalls with one end portion engaging the third wall, lever meanspivotally carried by the spaced side walls and engageable with the otherof said overlying end portions to forcibly close the jaws, a hook struckfrom the third wall of the supporting frame, and a tang struck from thespring member and engageable in the opening formed by striking the hookfrom the third wall of the frame, for readily detachably maintaining thespring member assembled with the supporting frame.

2, In a toggle clip, a spring member bent medially upon itself toprovide overlying end portions, one of said end portions being curledinwardly and backwardly toward the other to present a curved surfacethereto and said other end portion being flat, one of said end portionsbeing movable toward the other against the resiliency of the springmember to clamp material therebetween, and means engaging the endportions opposite their meeting portions to force the same together in aclamping action and provide unyielding supports spaced apart a distancesuch that the curled end portion is depressed with its 'inherentresiliency causing it to grip the material with a spring action.

porting frame having spaced side walls connected by a third wall, thespring member being disposed between the spaced side walls with one endportion engaging the third wall, a lever pivotally carried by the spacedside walls and engageable with the other end portion to forcibly closethe jaws, and a tang struck from the spring member medially of itsoverlying ends and nger engaging loop and engageable in an openingformed in the third wall of the frame to project outwardly therethrough.

4. A toggle clip comprising, a supporting frame having spaced side wallsconnected by a third wall, the outer end portions of the spaced sidewalls being opposite one end portion of the third wall, a spring memberformed of a continuous length of spring stock and bent medially uponitself to provide overlying end portions, one end portion of the springmember being flat and the other being curled inwardly to present asubstantially cylindrical loop to the flat end portion, said springmember being disposed between the side walls of the frame with thelooped end engaging the aforementioned end portion of the third wall,and a lever pivotally mounted from the outer ends of the side walls toforce the iiat end portion of the spring member toward the looped end toclamp material therebetween.

5. In a toggle of the character described, a

frame having spaced side walls, a spring member carried by the frame andmounted between the side walls, said spring member comprising acontinuous length of spring stock bent medially upon itself to afford anger engaging loop and overlying jaws at its end portions, one of saidjaws being substantially flat and the other being substantially a loopformed by curling the end portion of the spring member inwardly, afriction tooth struck outwardly from the looped jaw at its portionfacing the substantially flat jaw, and

a bell crank lever pivotally mounted from the side walls with its shortarm engageable with the iiat jaw adjacent its portion opposite thefriction tooth and with its long arm adapted to overlie the lingerengaging loop to provide means for swinging the lever about its mountingto cause the fiat jaw to move toward the other in clamping relation.

6. In a toggle of the character described, a frame having a fixed wallfrom which spaced side walls project, a bell crank lever, a pivot forthe bell crank lever carried by the side walls, said side walls forminga rigid connection between the pivot and the Xed wall to hold the sameat a xed distance from each other, a spring member carried by the frameand disposed between the side walls, said spring member comprising acontinuous length of spring stock bent medially upon itself to provideoverlying jaws at its ends and being so disposed in the frame that thejaws are Af between the pivot and the fixed wall portion opposite thepivot, one of said jaws being flat and the other being a loop formed bycurling the end portion of the spring member, the short arm of the bellcrank lever being engageable with one of the jaws to force the sametoward the other in clamping relation upon actuation of the lever, andthe combined length of the short arm of the bell crank lever, thethickness of the flat jaw,

and the diameter of the looped jaw being greater than the fixed distancebetween the bell crank pivotv and the xed wall portion opposite thepivot, so that the looped jaw is placed in compression when the jaws arein clamping relation.

f mai/ELTON Joints.

